Oversight Hearing on "Unleashing American Energy Dominance and Exploring New Frontiers"
Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans
2025-12-03
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Source: Congress.gov
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The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will now come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the subcommittee at any time. The subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on Unleashing American Energy Dominance and Exploring New Frontiers. Under Committee Rule 4F, any oral opening statements at the hearings are limited to the chairman and the ranking member. I therefore ask unanimous assent that all other members' statements be made part of the hearing record if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3-0. Without objection, so ordered. I ask unanimous assent that the following members be allowed to sit and participate in today's hearing. The gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. Stauber. The gentleman from Montana, Mr. Downing.
I now recognize myself for an opening statement. Good afternoon, everyone. I want to thank our witnesses for traveling all the way to Washington, D.C. to testify before this committee today. It's going to be a fun hearing. Throughout the 119th Congress, this subcommittee has held hearings addressing and discussing the 21st century realities of mining industry and how modern mining technologies are revolutionizing America's ability to secure domestic mineral supply chains. In fact, during the last year, the House Committee on Natural Resources has highlighted exciting advancements in mining on the seafloor and in space to not only explore new mineral frontiers, but to also understand how these technologies can be applied to terrestrial mining within our nation's borders. Today we'll learn more about how these advances are propelling us forward towards mineral and energy dominance. As everyone here is surely aware, our modern demands have made critical minerals and rare earth elements essential to daily life, from things ranging from smartphones and semiconductor chips to Virginia-class submarines and F-35s. Mined natural resources are fundamental building blocks for almost every aspect of our daily lives. And over the next few decades, the importance of these resources and mining will only continue to grow. Unfortunately, previous years of overbearing federal regulations have stymied the United States' world leadership in mineral production. The work we are doing in Congress and on the House Natural Resources Committee is prioritizing the mining industry and addressing the issues facing domestic mining.
The Natural Resources Committee has considered 14 pieces of legislation relating to mining issues. And just before Thanksgiving, the committee reported both my friends' and colleagues' bills, Congressman Amaday's Mining Regulatory Clarity Act and Congressman Stauber's Critical Mineral Dominance Act to the House floor. In addition, we were able to report Chairman Westerman's Bipartisan Speed Act legislation that will support critical permitting reforms necessary not only for mining, but for industries as varied as construction and farming. The White House also recognizes the importance of addressing the need for increased American mineral productivity as well. Within the first month of his second term, President Trump signed Executive Order 14241, titled Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production. This executive order invoked emergency powers from the Defense Production Act to fund or direct production issue contracts and streamline approvals for critical minerals necessary for the national defense and other essential industries. My amendment, including the House passing the EAA, requires the Department of Defense and Department of Interior to report to Congress on the United States' supply of rare earth minerals and elements extracted processed and refined from secure sources to advance the next generation of warfighters. These actions are necessary to confront the national energy emergency and make American mining great again. America is the land of opportunity and innovations, especially in my hometown, home state of Arizona. Tech companies are leading the way in artificial intelligence and robotics, which now touch every industry, including mining. If the United States is to remain a global leader, we must expand domestic mineral production and secure our mineral supply chains. Technological advances allow us to do so. These advances won't only evolve the mining industry's technology, they will radically change the workforce within mining as well.
1,449 students graduated from mining schools in 2015. but only 590 students graduated from these schools in 2023. This is a shocking 60% decrease over the last decade. It is estimated that 220,000 workers are expected to retire from the current mining workforce by 2029. This is a massive shift that can be addressed with innovation and increased job opportunities. With advancements in mining coming from automation, AI, cloud computing, The talent pool for mining can expand to workers who are never or are not traditional mining, do not have non-traditional background such as computer science and robotics to meet this workforce need. In short, there is a vocation for everyone in mining in that mining industry. Today we'll hear from our witnesses representing some of the companies driving the mining industry forward about the important work being done to make sure that America remains a global leader.
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